The powerful interstate power transmission line between Poland and Ukraine modernized by NEC Ukrenergo together with Polish transmission system operator PSE has successfully passed a three-day test since April 27, the NEC said.
According to Ukrenergo, the total cost of the project amounted to 350 million UAH, in addition, about 1 thousand tons of necessary equipment was provided for free by Polish partners.
The company explained that the bulk of the work was done in this node, so that the electricity produced by the Ukrainian power system could be converted to the European voltage of 400 kV and transmitted to Europe.
“It was a complex but mutually beneficial project that we implemented in cooperation with our European colleagues. It is important both for Ukraine and the energy security of Europe,” commented Volodymyr Kudrytsky, chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, as quoted in the company’s Telegram feed on Tuesday.
According to him, the line will strengthen links between the Ukrainian and European energy systems, constituting an additional element of European energy security and contributing to the development of a stable energy network in Ukraine.
“If the needs are different, we will be able to import electricity from Europe,” Kudritsky said.
The NEC added that the total length of the line is almost 400 km, more than 70% of which runs through Ukraine. The line is connected to the backbone network through an open switchgear on one of the Ukrainian power facilities. On the construction of the facility from the Ukrainian side for five months during the war worked 125 specialists – 45 employees of “Ukrenergo” and 80 contractors.
At the same time, Polish operator PSE on its auction platform on Tuesday announced a one-month auction to allocate available cross-section capacity on the Rzeszow-Khmelnitsky line for delivery from May 15-31. The capacity offered in the auction is 200 MW for exports from Ukraine and 350 MW for imports from Poland. Under the auction terms, bids from bidders will be accepted until May 8 at 16:00, with the results to be announced by the same time on May 10. Since NEC Ukrenergo during the war can only conduct daily auctions according to the requirements of ENTSO-E, it has to conduct them two days before the delivery day, i.e. the first can be expected on May 13 for the same capacity to be distributed by the Polish operator.
At the same time, the market notes that for the first week of May, Ukrenergo does not distribute cross-section capacity on the Dobrotvir-Zamosc line, through which DTEK Zakhidenergo exports 75MW hourly to Poland, due to a number of holidays in this country and the failure to hold auctions by the Polish operator.
As reported, the reconstructed 400 kV line between KNPP and Rzeszow was scheduled to be put into operation at the end of April. Reconstruction of the 750 kV Khmelnitsky NPP (KNPP) – Rzeszow line, which has not been in operation since the 1990s, provided for its transfer to the 400 kV voltage used in the European grid. Its launch allows for a 25-30% increase in Ukrainian export potential. The line will operate in synchronous mode, i.e. all participants of the Ukrainian and European markets will have access to it.
Ukraine and Poland have agreed on the resumption of transit of Ukrainian agricultural products. It will work at night from April 20 to 21, 2023, according to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
Additional control measures will be applied to the transit, of which market participants will be notified publicly and in working order in the near future.
The list of agricultural products banned for import from Ukraine to Poland as of 16 April includes a broad list of grains, flour and starch, as well as, sugar, caramel, seeds for sowing, vegetables and fruits, including exotic ones, dairy products, honey, wine, livestock products and live animals, as well as dog and cat food packaged for retail sale.
According to the text of the annex to the decree of the Minister of Development and Technology of Poland Waldemar Buda dated April 15, 2023 (Interfax-Ukraine news agency has a copy), since April 16 imports of sugar maize (fresh and chilled) from Ukraine to Poland are prohibited, except for hybrids for sowing; Seeds of soft wheat and meslin, spelt, soft wheat and meslin, except for sowing, rye, barley, oats, grain sorghum, except for hybrids for sowing, buckwheat, millet, canary seed, other cereals, durum wheat: wheat and meslin flour; rye flour; wheat cereals; malt, even roasted; grain flour; and, corn, barley and oat flakes; wheat, corn, potato and other kinds of starch.
The list also included lactose, maltose, glucose, fructose in solid form; sugar syrups without added flavorings or colorings, artificial honey mixed or not with natural honey; and caramel. Also sugar beet, sugar cane, cane or beet sugar, including chemically pure sucrose, maple sugar and maple syrup. Melass obtained from the extraction or refining of sugar, beet pulp.
A range of seeds for sowing, including sweet corn hybrids, seed peas, chickpeas, crude rice, grain sorghum hybrids, linseeds; canola seeds, sunflower seeds (crushed or uncrushed; for sowing), other oilseeds and fruits; flax and hemp;
The range of fruits and vegetables prohibited for importation includes: tomatoes fresh or chilled, onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and other onion vegetables; cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, leafy cabbage and similar edible vegetables; lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and chicory (Cichorium spp. ), carrots, turnips, salad beets, goatweed, celery, radishes and similar edible root vegetables, fresh or refrigerated. Also, cucumbers and gherkins, fresh or refrigerated; leguminous vegetables, peeled or unpeeled, fresh or refrigerated; nuts; fresh and dried bananas; fresh figs; pineapples; avocados; guavas mangoes and mangosteens; citrus fruits; table grapes, fresh; melons (including watermelons); papaya; apples, pears and quinces, fresh apricots, cherries, peaches (including nectarines), plums, other fruits.
It is prohibited to import not only raw vegetables, but also steamed or cooked in water, frozen, canned, dried. Under the ban are jams, marmalades, marmalades, fruit purees; wine, including grape juice and grape must; wine made from fresh grapes, including fortified wines; fresh grapes, except table grapes; vinegar.
The list includes a wide range of animal products: beef, veal, live animals of domestic species of cattle, except purebred farm animals; meat of cattle, fresh or chilled; beef frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked; Meat or meat by-products meal and meal; other prepared or preserved meat; live stock – thoroughbred breeding animals; preserved meat; by-products and offal; poultry meat and offal; Pig fat, meat and edible by-products of domestic pigs, sausages and similar products of meat, meat by-products or blood; swine fat (including lard); prepared products or preserves of the liver of any animal except goose or duck; pigs; mutton and goat meat; lambs (under one year of age), live sheep, except purebred breeding animals and lambs; sheep and goat meat; live swine; chilled and frozen swine meat; horses, including purebred breeding animals.
Ukraine will temporarily refrain from exporting grain and sunflower to Poland until the new season in order to solve the problem of overstocking the Polish market and protests of Polish farmers, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported, citing Ukrainian Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Nicholas Solski.
“We all understand who is to blame for this situation, but we must solve the problem. Therefore, Ukraine will refrain from exporting wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflowers to Poland (until the new season),” the Polish agency quoted Solsky from a joint press conference on Friday with his Polish colleague Robert Telus at the border with Ukraine in Dorohusk.
“The Ukrainian side made a proposal to very much limit for some time, and at the moment even stop the flow of grain to Poland,” Telus said, in turn.
As reported, April 5, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw said that the parties have found a way out of the problem of Ukrainian grain exports to Poland.
“We discussed the issues of our farmers – Polish and Ukrainian. We have found a way out. I believe that in the coming days, weeks we will finally solve all the issues, because there cannot be any difficulties between such close partners and real friends as Poland and Ukraine,” Zelenski said.
Earlier, the governments of Poland and Romania announced their intention to ask the European Commission to develop mechanisms that would help avoid price dumping to the detriment of local farmers.
Polish farmers threatened to disrupt the events during Zelenski’s visit to Warsaw, and Polish Minister of Agricultural Policy Henryk Kowalczyk resigned.
If the international community had been able to “push” Russia to increase ship inspections in the Bosporus, Ukraine would have been able to reduce the flow of grain traffic through European countries, Solsky said then, in turn.
Poland on 27 March has changed the rules for importing pets from Ukraine, the press service of the Main Veterinary Inspectorate of the country said.
It is noted that under the new rules of importation of animals to Poland, transported animals must meet the requirements of the European Union legislation.
In particular, dogs, cats and ferrets under the standard procedure will be able to accompany travelers if the animal is properly microchipped, has a current rabies vaccination, a current serological test to determine the antibody titer against rabies, and a health certificate in accordance with a sample established by EU legislation, or in certain cases, a valid passport issued in one of the EU member states.
“In order to facilitate movement within the EU, until further notice, Polish services will not require a 90-day waiting period from the date of blood sample collection to test the antibody titer against rabies in serum if the test result is satisfactory (> 0.5 IU/ml) and is indicated on the animal health certificate,” the report states.
It specifies that the Ukrainian official veterinarian must cross out the relevant endorsement of the 90-day waiting period in the certificate of health of the animal, putting his signature and stamp with his name in the margin of the crossed out endorsement.
“The health certificate must be accompanied by documentation of the examination,” the inspection concluded.
Leaders of five Central and Eastern European countries have urged the European Commission to take action in connection with a surplus of grain and other Ukrainian food on their territory, the Associated Press reported from Warsaw.
“We call on the European Commission to study the possibility of buying accumulated grain from EU member states bordering Ukraine for humanitarian needs,” reads a letter addressed to EC President Ursula von der Leyen on behalf of the prime ministers of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
“We also reiterate our call for financial support from the EU to accelerate the development of transport infrastructure (for the export of grain – IF),” it says.
It is pointed out that such products remain on the shelves of these countries in excess, reducing prices, and do not reach the countries that are ready to buy them outside the EU.
The European Commission earlier said that it intended to quickly launch an assistance mechanism for countries that faced an influx of Ukrainian products.
